Review on Olympus TG-860 Tough Waterproof Digital Camera With 3-Inch LCD (White) - International Version by Anthony Shields

PLEASE READ MY UPDATE BELOW - I CHANGED MY MIND. This is a great camera if you want to take simple photos anywhere. I was hoping I wouldn't have to rely on my phone for kayak and bike photos. I also paint with my photos on canvas and my phone is perfect for that. So I'm disappointed. I did a lot of research before buying. Pros - Incredibly durable and pretty easy to use. It's really waterproof and I think it's a good size. You can see him underwater and he works underwater. Cons - Maybe it's me, but it takes mediocre photos. Sometimes I've used my phone (Samsung S5) and this camera at the same time to see if there's a difference. I believe there is. I can take flying shots of a sunrise on a beach with birds flying by (general shot) and beautiful shots of a bird frozen in mid-air. TG-860 The same image but with much less colors (programmed or automatic) and the birds are just blurry. (I put both photos in the Olympus app on my computer so I can post them here.) Conclusion: If you just want to capture the moment or even a video, this camera is fine, especially in extreme weather or in the water . If you want to take really nice pictures on the go, use your phone. However, you risk losing your phone. The following images are essentially comparisons with each other. The first is my Samsung Galaxy S5. The right one is the TG-860 camera. I think you get what you pay for. UPDATE AUGUST 31, 2015 I must have done something wrong with my previous photos. I've taken a lot more pictures since my last review and I have to admit I'm getting better pictures. I'm also getting used to the settings, but "auto" works for most spontaneous shots. So I like this camera more and more every time. I often mount it on my kayak and even filmed my first dolphins kayaking. So if you're still flipping a coin to get one of these, I suggest you buy it. I convinced a kayaking friend to buy one and she is a very good photographer and she loves them as much as her fancy Nikon DSLR which she paid multiples more for to get similar shots. I suggest reading the instructions and finding what works best for you. It also downloads pretty well over WiFi. The last 4 pictures were taken on a kayak with one hand during the last week. Hopefully you can make a better decision after reading this.